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Reigning Monster Energy Champion Ryan Villopoto Claims First Win of 2013 Season in Anaheim

January 22, 2013

Eli Tomac Stays Perfect in Western Regional 250SX Class

ANAHEIM, Calif. (January 19, 2013) – The 2013 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, made its return visit to Anaheim on Saturday night, hosting its 59th race inside Angel Stadium in front of a crowd of 37,789 fans. After a 16th-place finish to start the season and a runner-up effort a week ago, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., emerged victorious for the first time this season. In the Western Regional 250SX Class, GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac, of Cortez, Colo., raced to his third consecutive victory to remain undefeated to start the season.

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Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer, of Rupert, Idaho, earned the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot Award to start the 20-lap 450SX Class Main Event, with Team Honda Muscle Milk teammates Justin Barcia, of Ochlocknee, Ga., and Trey Canard, of Shawnee, Okla., in tow. Villopoto came out of the first corner in sixth but quickly began to make his move forward.

After slipping past Barcia, Canard passed Weimer for the lead on the first lap and opened a small gap. Barcia asserted himself in second, but came up short off a triple, ultimately failing to finish the race. The misfortune allowed Rockstar Energy Racing’s Davi Millsaps, of Murrieta, Calif., and Villopoto to take over second and third, respectively. On Lap 4, Villopoto made the pass on Millsaps, the current championship points leader, for second and set his sights on Canard.

After quickly erasing his deficit, Villopoto positioned himself to make a pass for the lead and made an aggressive move on Canard on Lap 5 just before the finish line. Once out front, Villopoto logged fast, consistent laps to open up a healthy lead and win by nearly seven seconds.

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“The season didn’t start like we wanted it to,” said Villopoto, who ended a five-race winless streak – tying for the longest he’s had since capturing his first career win during the 2009 season. “I had a decent race in Phoenix and the team made good changes to the bike this week. We’ve finally got the ball going in the right direction and are digging ourselves out of the hole. Once I got into the lead, I was just trying to click of the laps and keep it consistent. The track was really slippery tonight, but I still tried to keep the pace up.”

Canard held on for his second runner-up finish this season, while Millsaps and TwoTwo Motorsports Honda’s Chad Reed, of Australia, engaged in a captivating battle for third. A tip-over by Millsaps ultimately handed Reed his first podium result of the season, but Millsaps still maintains possession of the points lead after finishing fourth.

Millsaps holds a three-point lead over Canard in the 450SX Class standings, with Reed an additional four points back in third. Villopoto’s win helped move him into fourth, 11 points from the lead.

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As the gate dropped on the Western Regional 250SX Class Main Event, Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda’s Cole Seely, of Newbury Park, Calif., grabbed the Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot Award just ahead of Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen, of Germany. Behind the duo, Valli Motorsports Yamaha’s Travis Baker, of Temecula, Calif., and Tomac battled for the third spot.

Seely set a strong pace to start the 15-lap Main Event, but Roczen and Tomac stayed within striking distance, allowing the trio to open up a significant gap over the field. On Lap 8, Roczen attempted to make a pass on Seely for the lead, but it allowed Tomac to take over the position and set his sights on the top spot. Just two laps later after closing to within a fender, Tomac made an impressive outside pass on Seely to move into the lead and carried it through to the finish for his 10th career win.

“I definitely started off slower [today],” commented Tomac, who has been under the weather. “I was good in one practice and struggled in the other, so it definitely made the race matter that much for the [win]. It was a great battle out there. The track was tough, so I had to keep my feet tight and the bike under control. From now on I just need to keep it on the podium.”

Roczen made a late pass to finish second, while Seely rounded out on the podium in third.

Tomac’s lead now stands at nine points over Roczen, who has finished second in all three races this season. Seely has possession of third, 17 points out of the lead.

SPEED will broadcast the Western Regional 250SX Class race tomorrow at Noon ET, followed by CBS Sports’ broadcast the 450SX Class at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Monster Energy Supercross will continue next Saturday night, January 26, at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif.

450SX Class Results: Anaheim
1.      Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
2.      Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
3.      Chad Reed, Australia, Honda
4.      Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
5.      Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
6.      Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
7.      Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
8.      Justin Brayton, Cornelius, N.C., Yamaha
9.      Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., KTM
10.   Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha

450SX Class Points
1.      Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki – 63
2.      Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda – 60
3.      Chad Reed, Australia, Honda – 56
4.      Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki – 52
5.      Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM – 48
6.      Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki – 47
7.      Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda – 41
8.      Justin Barcia, Ochlocknee, Ga., Honda – 40
9.      James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki – 36
10.   Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha – 32

Western Regional 250SX Class Results: Anaheim
1.      Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
2.      Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM
3.      Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda
4.      Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda
5.      Jake Canada, Sun City, Calif., Honda
6.      Christian Craig, Wildomar, Calif., Honda
7.      Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki
8.      Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki
9.      Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha
10.   Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda

Western Regional 250SX Class Points
1.      Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda – 75
2.      Ken Roczen, Germany, KTM – 66
3.      Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda – 58
4.      Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Honda – 47
5.      Christian Craig, Wildomar, Calif., Honda – 35
6.      Tyla Rattray, South Africa, Kawasaki – 35
7.      Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha – 35
8.      Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki – 32
9.      Ryan Sipes, Ekron, Ky., Suzuki – 31
10.   Martin Davalos, Ecuador, Kawasaki – 30

Supercross LIVE!® is back in 2013 with a three-hour mid-raceday program from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. local time. Hosts, Jim Holley, a former World Supercross Champion, and Kevin Barnett, a former member of the U.S. Men’s Olympic Volleyball Team and professional broadcaster, will provide in-depth analysis of the afternoon’s practice and qualifying sessions as the riders and teams prepare for the night racing, in addition to interviews and behind-the-scenes coverage. As the only place to follow live practice and qualifying coverage from Monster Energy Supercross, Supercross LIVE! provides fans with an inside perspective before the gate drops on the night’s qualifying and Main Events.  Additionally, there will be video snippets made available throughout the race day that can be viewed on www.SupercrossOnline.com, the official website of Monster Energy Supercross, or the YouTube Channel www.YouTube.com/SupercrossLive. To access the live streaming broadcasts, go to www.SupercrossOnline.com/SupercrossLive or subscribe to the Supercross LIVE! streaming channel at http://new.LiveStream.com/Supercrosslive.

For more information on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, please log on to www.SupercrossOnline.com, the official website of Monster Energy Supercross. For all media requests, please contact Denny Hartwig dhartwig@feldinc.com or 630-566-6305. To follow Monster Energy Supercross on Facebook and Twitter, log on to http://www.facebook.com/supercrosslive and http://twitter.com/supercrosslive.

About Feld Motor Sports®
Feld Motor Sports®, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMSOIL Arenacross, Nuclear Cowboyz®, and IHRA® Nitro Jam®.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment.  For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.

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